MIA

Name at birth: Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam

M.I.A. is the performing name of Maya Arulpragasam, an artist and singer known for the dancehall hits "Galang" and "Sunshowers." Arulpragasam grew up in Sri Lanka in a family that was among the Tamil minority. Political upheaval spurred her mother to apply for refugee status in Britain, and in 1986 the family moved to London. Arulpragasam studied film at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and began her career as a documentary maker. After discovering the joys of a drum machine, she began writing her own songs and distributing mix-tapes and singles on her own. A blend of hip-hop and reggae rhythms with politicized lyrics, her singles "Galang" and "Sunshowers" became dancehall and DJ favorites in 2003 and 2004. Music videos and word of mouth helped boost the anticipation of her first album, Arular, released internationally in 2005. She also made news at the 2009 Grammy Awards, when she performed onstage while nine months pregnant with her first child.